Stowaway
by soulasunajellal
Summary: Emily and company are on their way to Algos Island, hoping to find anything to help in the fight against the elf king. But during the journey, they gain an unexpected ally. A surprise ally. WARNING: contains spoilers for book 6. Proceed with cation.
1. Chapter 1

Every night,

I dream you're still here.

The ghost by my side;

So perfectly clear.

When I awake,

You'll disappear.

Back to the shadows

With all I hold dear.

Still here- Digital Daggers

**Stowaway**

**Chapter 1**

Emily looked down at the scattered buildings gradually shrinking beneath them as the _**Luna Moth **_pulled away. They had stopped there for fuel, supplies... and information. While the airship refueled and their captain yelled at the employees at the station; Emily, Vigo, and Trellis had wandered around town asking about a certain landmark on the border of Windsor and Gulfen. From what they had gathered from the locals who weren't too hostile, they were very close; it was less than 12 hours away to the northeast.

The ginger-haired Stonekeeper yawned and blinked her tired brown eyes. The trip so far had left her exhausted, but it was worth it. They now had their coordinates and were on the way to Trellis and Luger's birth home; Algos Island.

No one, not even the elf brothers, knew what they would find. However, it seemed important, judging from Max's tone as he told them to go there; just before he died.

Emily's face darkened and she gripped the railing in white knuckled hands. The image of him withering away to bone haunted her waking hours and visited her in dreams, but she didn't understand why. Max Griffin was a traitor, a liar, and a thief. She knew that she should hate him for what he did, but then she would remember that moment in the void; he had changed and in that very moment, he became a person, someone she could relate to. He had lost so much at a young age. He wasn't that different from her. Every time he crossed her mind she would be overwhelmed with guilt because, even though Vigo had told her that Max was already dead, Emily felt that she could have saved him if she had tried.

She pushed the thought away. She needed a distraction. They had 11 hours or so to kill, so she decided to visit the ship's library. She closed the door behind her and scanned the room. There was no one else there so she walked up to one of the bookcases, pulled out a hardcover novel, and sat down to examine her treasure. Two hours passed by uneventfully; Emily was almost halfway through her book (she was an avid reader) when she heard an odd noise. She froze, instantly wary. She closed the book softly, straining her ears to catch the sound.

There it was again! That high pitched whine from before, this time accompanied by an erratic scrabbling, like claws on a hard surface.

She stood up slowly, grabbing her wooden staff as her amulet blazed to life and a silky whisper twined through her skull.

'_It came from the mess hall. Be cautious.'_

The voice.

"Great." she grumbled, padding softly towards the wall opposite her that wasn't occupied by shelves. In that wall was a door that led to the Galley where everyone ate their meals. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath to quell her nerves, and grasped the knob. It turned with a soft click then pushed inward soundlessly.

The portholes that lined the walls cast bright light into the room and she had to squint in the glare. After her eyes adjusted she looked around. There was nothing special about the place, it was dominated for the most part by a long metal table with benches on either side. There were two more doors; one led outside, the other led to the kitchen. Everything was calm, there was nothing out of the-

Suddenly, something slammed into her, knocking her onto her back with a loud, "Ooof!" as the wind was driven out of her. She fought for breath with the thing sitting on her stomach, she heard it give a light bark before she felt it's cold, damp nose on her forehead, sniffing her hair.

**'Wait a minute, ' **she thought, doing a double take. **'Wet nose? Barking?'**

The Stonekeeper reached up to push the beast off her. Her hands met soft, silky fur as she gently shoved at its shoulders. It got the message and leaped to the side, waiting for her to sit up before jumping back into her lap. Thanks to the new position, Emily was able to get a good look at her new companion for the first time. It looked to be an average sized canine, perhaps seven years old, with a black pelt. It had pointed ears and a plumed tail that thumped on the floor as it stared at her with its dark eyes.

**'Wow. I didn't know that there were dogs in Alleldia. Not that I've seen, at least.' **But here was one, sitting in her lap.

The sound of the library door opening behind them broke her train of thought. "Emily, are you in- what the hell is that?!"

She turned at the familiar voice and saw her fellow stonekeeper, Trellis, staring at the creature in shock. Said animal got up and moved to greet the elf, who took a cautious step back before extending a hand to be sniffed. His look changed from shock to fascination. **'He hasn't seen one either, apparently.'**

Emily got to her feet, brushing herself off with a small smile and slightly raised eyebrows. She gestured to the dog. "Tell Enzo, we have a stowaway on board," she said.

**AN. Hey, guys. Finally, my second FanFic on this site! This is actually the first one I ever wrote and I have quite a bit down for this particular story. I plan to edit the chapters I have then post them but I can't tell you how often I'll update; school sucks (mostly, though my English teacher is cool) and my editor is usually very busy. So, I don't know. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN. Me again! But before we begin, I wanted to thank Michelle (**guest**) and**

**thecakemasterofpanem, your reviews made me smile =). I hope that, if you continue to read Stowaway, you like what I'm doing. Now, without further comment, here's the next chapter!**

**Stowaway**

**Chapter 2**

"Are you kidding me?!" Everyone gathered flinched at Enzo's tone. "Why would you even get near the thing in the first place?" His brother Rico looked down with his grey ears laid flat.

Still staring at the floor, the tabby hybrid mumbled: "He was giving me the eyes, Rico. He was perfectly friendly so I fed him a bit."

"How come I didn't see this?" Their captain asked incredulously.

"Because you were arguing with the manager about seemingly nothing whatsoever."

Enzo paused for a moment, apparently trying to remember back to the fueling station. It came to him and he scratched the nape of his neck in embarrassment. "Oh...Yeah." There was a chorus of exasperated sighs from the crew. He could be so thickheaded sometimes.

"Anyways," Rico continued, "_I_ didn't bring him on; The sly devil crept aboard when our backs were turned. I only found out about five minutes after takeoff, and it was too late to turn back by then. I decided to put him in here and deal with it later.

Emily, who (along with everyone else) had been watching the entire exchange, now spoke up. "The question is: what are we going to do now?"

The girl and the cats turned toward the topic of the current debate, who had his muzzle in Luger's lap and was having his ears scratched.

"So do they all look like that?" Enzo asked. Emily shook her head. "No, not all of them." '**To be honest, **she thought, **I've never seen a creature quite like this one in my life.'**

After much discussion they came to the conclusion that he was not a dog, as she had first thought, but a wolf. The appearance of the animal itself wasn't extraordinary; lean and muscular, with jet black fur. However there was something off about him. For one thing, he was proud, dignified and aware; not like a normal animal would be, almost human.

The wolf felt Emily's gaze and turned his head to meet it. His irises were deep, dark blue and oddly _familiar. _Every time she looked into them, she felt herself falling into a sort of hypnosis, unable to look away.

"...Far from any city." Trellis was saying, she immediately woke up. Their mechanic, the Robot, Cogsely, sighed, "Well, there goes the idea of dropping him off."

"What's wrong with keeping him? I don't see any harm in it." Luger inquired from where he was petting the wolf. The captain looked miffed, "How the hell are we going to take care of an animal here? We're on an airship for heaven's sake!"

"Can we focus on the task at hand, please?" Emily turned toward the speaker. Vigo continued, "Let's just get to our destination and see how things work out. Then we can worry about keeping a pet." The girl hid a smile. Vigo Light was the oldest member of the Guardian Council (Trellis was second youngest and she was the youngest). He was also very wise so they usually listened to what he had to say, like they did now.

"Sounds good to me." Enzo said with a grin. "Come on Rico, let's get back to work." With this, everyone split up; The cats and the robot to maintain the _**Moth **_and the Stonekeepers to train.

Time passed quickly like this and before too long, Enzo came on over the PA system, telling the crew that they were just five minutes from their destination. Emily, now released from lessons, went to the guardrail. The landscape below had been swallowed by a fog so thick that it looked as if an enormous, white blanket had been spread out over the land.

Her attention was pulled away as her amulet flashed with pale light and began hovering at eye level. The voice spoke: _'Are you ready Emily?'_

**'Oh. **_**You **_**again.' **She replied bitterly. Emily knew she was being rude but she didn't care, her tone covered how anxious she was. She had always had a rocky relationship with the spirit of the stone but she had been especially on edge since the last time she went into the Void.

_'Temper, temper~. You need to keep sharp, you never know what you might encounter down there.'_

She pushed a few scarlet locks out of her face in annoyance. **'Please don't remind me.' **She grumbled.

_'We will be landing soon, are you ready?'_

**'As ready as I'll ever be.'**

_'Good to hear.' _Then the amulet began to dim. _'Oh Emily! One more thing.'_

**'Hmm?'**

_'Bring the wolf with you.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The search party left the _**Luna Moth,**_ traveling inland to look for anything out of the ordinary. It was a small group. Emily, Vigo, Trellis, Luger, and their furry guest, so being spotted wasn't a problem. Trellis took the lead, sword drawn and his brother by his side. Emily and Vigo were right behind them with the redhead watching the wolf explore the forest.

"Remind me. Why did we bring him exactly?" Vigo asked, referring to the wolf who was currently marking his dominance on a log.

"It wasn't my idea to begin with but my stone told me to bring him along." Emily answered, whistling for the lupine to come and gripping the chain collar when he was close enough.

"I thought you hated him." Trellis said from up ahead.

'**Damn his ears!' **She hissed in her head. She had forgotten how sharp his hearing was. She thought carefully before she replied: "You know I don't trust him Trellis, but he made me curious." To be honest, the voice had surprised her. She would've asked what he meant by that, but the amulet had grown still by then.

The company continued their hike in silence. They passed through towering trees decked in delicate gold. Occasionally a gust of wind would come and pluck a few leaves off their branches, tossing them into the open air and bringing the scent of rain.

Emily took a deep breath. **'It would be nice to live here.' **She concluded as she watched the leaves dance, bright yellow against the overcast sky. They wove between the tree trunks; willow, birch, and gingko taking in the golden wood around them. For a minute, just one glorious minute, she forgot about the rest of the world.

Then the foliage opened up to a large clearing on the shores of a massive pond that took up most of the space. The water was pale gray with mist curling up from its surface. The next thing that they noticed was the house on the shore. It would've been beautiful once, but years of neglect had taken a toll on its appearance. The wood paneling was rotting, a stairway leading up to the house had collapsed, the roof was missing shingles, and the state of the windows ranged from filthy to broken to just gone. It felt cool and lonely, but that wasn't all.

The clearing seemed to radiate raw power, from the earth and from the water. The very air was saturated with it. As they stood at the tree line it felt as if a cold wind went through them, as if the chill was searching for something in their souls.

Vigo swore under his breath. Trellis hissed and took step back. Luger wrapped his cloak tighter around himself.

Emily shuddered. The wolf snarled, pressing against her leg. She stroked him, the feel of his coarse fur beneath her fingers grounding her to reality and giving her comfort. Trellis tried to speak but came up short. Truth be told words weren't necessary. They had known from the instant they left the safety of the forest. This was the place.

**AN. Finally, chapter 3! I'm so excited! A special, special thanks to Michelle, for bombarding me with ideas. Seriously girl, you would write amazing stories, I just know it. Just be sure to PM me when you finally register. ;)**

**Happy Holidays everyone!**

**Soul * Asuna * Jellal**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN. Hey everyone, I'm back! This one's for Michelle, who will now be joining us as 'Redheadstonekeeper'. Happy birthday, girlfriend!**

Chapter 4

They stood there for a time. Then one by one, as if breaking out of a trance, they began to make their way down to the water's edge. Their eyes flicked back and forth, their postures stiff, ready to fight or flee if the need arose.

Luger's gaze, however, remained fixed upon the house, his expression was hard to read. Then he spoke, "I remember this place. We used to live here before our uncle died and we were taken to Valcor. He lived in a hut on the other side of the pond." Trellis nodded in response. Emily tried to picture them growing up in that lake house, but couldn't. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to live here as it was now.

The two older individuals of the group had split off from the rest and where exploring the property while the other three walked further along the shore to stop beneath a lone weeping willow.

It was enormous; four adults with their arms wrapped around only would have encircled half of the trunk. The slender, trailing branches were covered in tiny emerald green leaves that whistled and sighed whenever a breeze came through.

"I was standing here. Right here." Emily turned to look at the prince, curiosity plain on her face. "What are you talking about?" But even as she asked, she guessed the answer.

Trellis continued: "Back when I visited the Void for the first time, I woke up here, covered in bandages." He gestured to the house some distance behind them. "I went outside and saw my younger self fishing under this tree."

He made a hopeless gesture with one hand. "Ah well, it's such a small thing. To be honest, I'm surprised that my brain even bothered." Emily simply shrugged, turning to the pond stretching off into the unknown distance, the curling mist obscuring the distant shore. She frowned.

"What's wrong Emily?" Trellis had noticed the ginger's facial expression and was now wearing one of concern.

"Something isn't right. Can't you tell?" The elf followed her gaze toward the cool grey water. He blinked once, twice, then tilted his head.

"The water. It's too still."

The surface was flawlessly smooth; as still as a pane of glass reflecting their faces back at them.

"Should we tell the others? This could be important." But before Emily could reply, the wolf barked, startling them. The animal was standing between the two glaring out over the mist-cloaked water. His hackles were raised, making him look twice his normal size; his tail was a bottlebrush of alarm; his lips peeled back, revealing deathly white canines in a snarl; a growl as loud as rolling thunder rumbled deep within his chest.

He looked like a monster from the coldest, darkest depths of the underworld but his fury wasn't directed at anything the two stonekeepers could see. Rather at something that they couldn't sense yet.

That's when the cold wind from earlier suddenly roared to life, this time it was much stronger than before; instead of it being a moderate breeze, it was like being hit by a brick wall.

Emily cried out as both she and Trellis were blasted backwards. She slammed into the trunk of the willow and heard a sickening crack. She moaned in pain as her vision blurred and went dark.

**AN. Cliffy! I'm so mean to you, i'm sorry but I can't help it. I'm working on the next one and will post it very soon, so don't worry!**


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